


Bleeding Hearts

by Kestrealbird



Series: DC Verse [5]
Category: DCU (Comics), Justice League - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Gen, Platonic Relationships, Uncle Barry, ambiguous ending, is it character death? up to you
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-10
Updated: 2019-05-10
Packaged: 2020-02-29 11:05:03
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,146
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18776995
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kestrealbird/pseuds/Kestrealbird
Summary: Normally, Jason would be on the ball with his decisions, springing into action without an ounce of hesitation.Normally, Barry isn't bleeding out all over the floor, gasping for breath as his body refuses to heal.





	Bleeding Hearts

**Author's Note:**

  * For [TheIskraeon](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheIskraeon/gifts).



> this won't make any sense probably until I finish another fic I'm working on but the TLDR: I have a headcanon that Barry and Bruce looked after eachother's wards (Dick and Wally) which then went wildly out of control and now Barry is the official Uncle of all the Batkids. Don't think too hard about it.

There's a strangled cry of his name, and Jason turns, sees the weapon firing at him, knows he won't have time to get out of the way, won't move fast enough. Someone dives at him, shielding him from the blast, and he finds himself knocked to the floor, rolling as familiar red leather encircles him, face pressed against someone’s chest.

They stop tumbling, and Barry leans over him, protective and assessing for any injuries, but Jason can't focus on that because Barry is _bleeding_ , a river of blood escaping from under his helmet and there's a gaping wound in his side and -

-he's not healing, Jason thinks wildly. Doesn't know what happened but Barry is _bleeding_ and _it won't stop_ , why isn't he healing!?

"Uncle B…?" Jason can't remember the last time his voice sounded like this, shaken and afraid, mind whirling. The few seconds they spend like that feel like forever, and then Barry is hauling him to his feet, a vice-grip on his wrist, dragging him behind cover as a small bomb goes off behind them. A last ditch attempt from the bastards currently hightailing it out of the building.

Normally, Jason would shoot after them. _Normally,_ Jason would be on the ball with his decisions, springing into action without an ounce of hesitation.

Normally, Barry isn't bleeding out all over the floor, gasping for breath as his body _refuses to heal_.

_This wasn't supposed to happen._

It was meant to be an ordinary mission. Get in, beat the bad guys and get out. But there’d been an ambush waiting for him, and he’d fought off a nice chunk of them but it hadn’t been _enough_ and now Uncle Barry was -

“Why did you do that?” His voice cracks, and he knows he should be calling for help instead of speaking, hands hovering over the hole - oh god it’s a _hole_ \- in Barry’s side, but he can’t stop himself, fear gripping his heart and panic taking over. He feels like a kid again. Feels like he did when he woke up the first time after dying, confused and afraid and alone, except he’s not alone here but it’s _worse_ because he can't _do_ anything and Barry is bleeding and -

Hands bracket the sides of his helmet, holding him steady. Barry’s voice wavers as he speaks. “Breathe, Jason. In and out, that’s it, breathe with me, it’s okay, we’re gonna be fine, just breathe.” Jason breathes. Slow and sure, trying not to gasp or bite his tongue. Numbly, he reaches into his pocket and clicks on the emergency tracker he has there, praying that one of his brothers - or even his Dad - are nearby and can get here _quickly._

There aren’t any men left, which is a good thing. There’s no way Jason would be able to fight them off with his current state of mind. He’s seen Uncle Barry injured before, sure, but - but he’s never seen a wound that won't heal. There’s not even a spark of electricity to hint at anything. Just blood. So much blood.

An anti-meta weapon, his mind supplies for him. Built specifically to render meta-humans powerless. Jason wrenches his helmet off, reaches out to slide off Uncle Barry’s too, breath stilted. He knew what he’d see, but it still doesn’t prepare him for the sight. Blood pools down Barry’s chin, soaking his skin like a river, trailing down his neck and disappearing behind his jacket.

He coughs, and more bubbles up past his lips. “Why did you do it?” Jason repeats, desperate as he takes off his jacket and tries to apply pressure to the wound, blood soaking his hands.

“Because there’s no way I’m letting you die a second time.” Barry’s voice is firm, despite the blood loss, clear and comforting. Jason looks up at him, eyes wide with unshed tears. He’d known that his death had affected Barry - had known the moment he’d shown up on Barry’s doorstep and been pulled into a hug near instantly, his Uncle’s arms shaking around him - but he’d never.

Never thought about _why._

“...what?”

Barry hisses through his teeth, pain lacing through him. “When I...when I heard -” another breath - “about what happened. That Joker was still alive? I nearly - nearly tore Bruce’s head off. We got into an argument. Bad one. I wouldn't -” Jason didn’t know. Hadn’t heard about this from anyone. Had Dick known? Had _Timothy?_ “ - talk to him for months. Not until Tim showed up. Needed to - to let him know that he wasn’t being used as a replacement.” Barry huff's a laugh and it sounds ragged and painful. “Bruce was too caught up in his pissing contest...with Dick to - to notice it might be a problem. Typical of him.”

Jason wants to agree. He does. But his mind is reeling from all this new information. Barry had - had tracked Dad down and _argued_ with him? Was _that_ why they were so tense around each other now? Why Barry didn’t tease Dad as much as he used to?

“That’s so stupid,” Jason tells him, voice cracking. “You’re both so _stupid._ ” He isn’t sure what, exactly, he’s calling them stupid for. Barry doesn’t argue. His smile says he agrees. It’s so fucked up. Even while he’s bleeding out and - and -

He’s still trying to _comfort_ Jason. Like he did when Jason was living with him, having all those nightmares, before he took up the name Red Hood and showed back up in Gotham.

Barry’s glove caresses the side of his face, thumb wiping away some of his tears. “Hey, hey, hey, sshh, don't cry Jay. I’m healing. It’s slow, and mostly on the inside, but I am.”

Jason doesn’t believe him. “ _Promise me._ ” He demands, lifting a hand to hold his Uncle’s wrist. "Promise me!"

Barry searches his face, opening his mouth, thinks better than to give false promises to someone like Jason. He doesn’t answer. Jason nearly demands it again, but then he hears someone yelling his name, looks up to see Dick and Tim jumping down into the clearing. _Thank god_ , he thinks, and even his inner thoughts sound wrecked. “Over here! Hurry!”

Barry’s pulse jumps beneath his fingers, breath stilting, becoming shallow. He keeps his eyes open long enough to confirm that Jason’s brothers are here, that he’s safe. Barry can hear Tim sucking in a breath, feels him helping Jason with his wound.

Dick's already on the phone to Bruce, and Barry feels a spike of pride at how collected he sounds as he talks.

He feels tired. Starts to slip into unconsciousness, sight going hazy around the edges.

Three voices beg him not to close his eyes, plead the word “no” over and over; "you can't die!" One of them is yelling, though he can't tell which.

Barry hopes they’ll understand. He can outrun death. He's done it before.

 

 

The voices stop.


End file.
